Group Chant
German fans continue to share their support and cheer together

In early May 2020 it was announced that Germany’s professional football league, the Bundesliga, would resume after being postponed for months due to the Coronavirus. But for safety reasons, all games would be played in front of empty stands, with no fans in attendance. Despite these measures, hundreds of thousands of German fans continued to share their support and cheer together in Facebook football groups. 

To celebrate their ability to come together in these circumstances and unwavering love for their teams, we created a 60-second film that features real football fans from across the country singing the classic stadium chant ‘Marmor Stein Und Eisen Bricht’ from their homes, gardens and balconies. In the current context the iconic song’s lyrics act as both a declaration of love for the game and a homage to Germany’s resilience through the crisis.

As filming had to be done remotely, the fans were not only the musical stars of the spot, but also the filmmakers. All of the footage was captured using iPhone’s and directed by video call. A streaming software connected the director (Sara Dunlop) and the production team directly to the fan’s iPhones. This meant that live collaboration with the fans and their camera operators (aka the family or friends living with them) was possible. These extraordinary circumstances resulted in a film that feels both homemade and cinematic